Levett Essex Leopards captain Dougie Bennett will get little rest during the festive period as he trains with the Scotland national squad.

The Big Cats get a two-week break over Christmas, but Bennett has been included in a 20-man training squad for a three-day camp ahead of April’s Commonwealth Games basketball tournament.

He will travel to Dunfermline for the first day of the camp, with the second and third day of training taking place in Edinburgh.

Scotland are in the same group as England in the competition, and a squad of 12 will be chosen from this week’s trial.

The 24-year-old Bennett has previously played with Scotland’s junior and senior squads, and is excited about the chance to play for his country.

He said: “I’m delighted to be given the opportunity to once again train as part of the Scottish national team.

“I am looking forward to training alongside some great athletes in hope to full fill my dream of playing at the commonwealth games in 2018.”

Leopards general manager Dave Ryan said: “We’re really pleased for Dougie. Obviously we’ll miss Dougie during the play-offs if he’s selected for the Games, but it’s a great opportunity for him and hopefully we’ll be back in Division One before he goes.”

Bennett and the Leopards will return to action on Sunday week (January 7) when Westminster Warriors are the visitors to the Brentwood Centre, tip-off 4pm.

The Big Cats will again be running their popular pre-game training session for youngsters to learn the game with the Leopards’ players. Further details are available at leopardsbasketball.co.uk or by calling 07828 470015.